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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220606">since you're looking i'll put on a show [actor au]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/junipersand/pseuds/junipersand'>junipersand</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Actor AU, Angst, Comedy, Crimson Egg arc, Dream SMP Actor AU, how many ship jokes can i make in one fic, just a bunch of theatre kids running around with clout, let's fucking find out!, so will the tags and characters, summary updates every chapter, tables and doors are being abused here, theres a blooper reel if you're interested</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:34:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29220606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/junipersand/pseuds/junipersand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>George nearly spat his milk from the hashtag trending on Twitter, haven’t expected it to blow up overnight.</p>
  <p>    <b>Number 1 Trending in the United States</b><br/><i>#georgeNOTfound</i><br/></p>
</blockquote>In which George is late to almost every casting, and his fellow cast members and fans are done with his shit.<hr/><p><b>Chapter List:</b><br/>1: Crimson Empire Premiere<br/>2: George being late to everything</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Everyone &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>241</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Premiere [Trailer for the Crimson Arc]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“And now, we welcome the villains of the Dream SMP!”</p>
<p>One by one, spotlights sprung to life on stage, unveiling each and every one of the antagonists the fans have seen over the months. Raucous cheers erupted from every side of the premiere as each of their favorites were revealed. Skeppy’s ears rang, frowning as he leaned away from a screaming man.</p>
<p>The lights came to a standstill, leaving a silhouette in the dark. Quackity, the host for tonight, gestured for the wild crowd to settle down before coughing into his mic. Confused murmurs and whispers took place, but eventually settled down as Quackity tapped his mic impatiently.</p>
<p>Skeppy squinted at the stage, questions rising in his head. He counted the list of villains in his head while naming the villains on stage. <em>Dream</em>, <em>Wilbur</em>, <em>Schlatt</em>—that was all the villains from the first season of the Dream SMP. The fourth figure stood still, but the shadow of a trident was what made him stand out amongst his peers. The figure had an arm raised, pointing the trident as they looked towards the ceiling. Their other hand was free, brought up with their fingers curled as if they were in the middle of a villainous speech.</p>
<p>They didn’t tell him about the new person. Granted, he was constantly absent due to his commercial shootings, but he expected at least a head’s up before he returned to the studio and a new face. He would have to check with Callahan and Alyssa later. The three villains walked off the stage, giving the world’s attention to the fresh face.</p>
<p>“I bet you’re all wondering!” Quackity continued, walking over to the fourth and unknown villain. “Who is this?  Is this a new character? Or have they been lurking in the SMP, working behind the shadows all this time?” He pointed the mic at the audience, who answered his questions in the form of incoherent screams. Quackity took the mic back to him. “I hear no right answers, which means this bad boy did a good fuckin’ job! Shout out to my homies the makeup artists! And <em>thank god</em> I’m not back at the dressing room with all that body paint and fake noses.”</p>
<p>Skeppy stifled a chuckle, bottling up his water before he could spit any out. Quackity could always find ways to entertain large groups of people. Heck, he could even make History interesting, if you didn’t mind having difficulty differentiating between the actual names like Alexander Hamilton and nicknames like Theatre Nerd 6.9.</p>
<p>Quackity stuck three fingers up to the sky. “Alright you little hamburgers! I know you’re all excited to see the new villain, so we’re not going to wait any fucking longer for GeorgeNotFound to wake up! Which by the way, the little fucker is at the backstage sleeping on one of the props. Fuck him.” The crowd exploded into laughter. “We’re counting down on three! Count with me, you muffinfucks below the stage! THREE!”</p>
<p>He put a finger down. “TWO!” The crowd shouted with him.</p>
<p>“ONE!” Another finger went down. Skeppy’s eardrums stung. Quackity stepped back and gave the new villain the stage.</p>
<p><em>“ZERO!”</em> The light above the silhouette burst to life, revealing the new villain in a flash of silver light.</p>
<p>The crowd settled down, all collectively taking in the new antagonist’s appearance. He was male, but it was difficult to tell from his lean figure and the black cloak around him. He was clad in black and white, face hidden with a black mask that had a pair of white eyes printed on it. Ghoulish red vines were twisted around his body and limbs, even reaching to the tips of his trident.</p>
<p>It only took a few seconds for the fans to recognize the familiar clothing, even if it were a completely different color palette. The audience burst into surprised shrieks and confused screams. Somewhere to Skeppy’s left, someone screamed, <em>“NO, MY BABY”</em> with the volume of a jet’s engine. Their fanbase wasn’t proclaimed the craziest for nothing. Another person shrieked: <em>“HOLD MY HAND, CHAT. HOLD HANDS”</em> with half the audience linking hands with each other.</p>
<p>It would’ve been funnier if Skeppy was told about this new guy earlier. The villain on stage lowered his arms and waved at the crowd, but his face was still hidden under the mask.</p>
<p>“Give it up for our resident language patrol, BadBoyHalo!”</p>
<p>Skeppy squeezed his plastic bottle so hard the cap popped off.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the fuck??</em>
</p>
<p>Unfortunately, no one shared his dismay, as excited squeals sounded all around him. Up on the stage, Quackity passed Bad the mic, but he didn’t take his mask off. If he was going to pull a Dream for the next season, Skeppy would snatch that mask off his face and burn it in his next barbeque party where Bad isn’t invited.</p>
<p>“Hello,” Bad greeted, voice deeper than usual. “How are you little muffins tonight?” He walked to the center of the stage, cloak billowing behind him and the light following him. The lights in the auditorium dimmed, leaving only the one above Bad. Quackity disappeared from sight before anyone even realized it. Bad turned to the audience, reaching for his mask. “Do you know what time it is?”</p>
<p>Sporting red and white glowsticks, the crowd called out the obvious answer: “It’s muffin time!”</p>
<p>To everyone’s surprise, Bad chuckled, waving a finger in disapproval. “<em>Tsk tsk tsk</em>—a good answer, but none of that today, guys.” The audience sank into silence, clutching each other’s palms as if it were the end of the world. <em>End of their CuteBoyHalo fantasies, at least</em>. “I have something else planned, you see.” He hit the stage with the butt of his trident. “Something… <em>evil</em>.”</p>
<p>The lights cut off, plunging the room into darkness. Only lights from glowsticks and phones lit up small parts of the crowd. It turned so quiet Skeppy could hear his own breathing. He finished up the rest of his water and crushed it into a ball, the man next to him glaring at him for spoiling the mood.</p>
<p>From the speakers, Bad’s voice blasted throughout the event. “ALL HAIL THE CRIMSON EMPIRE!”</p>
<p>Like flash bombs, dark red lights showered the stage. Another wave of excitement phased through the crowd, phone lights and glowsticks shining from every inch of the mob. On stage, Bad had taken off his mask, revealing white hair, sharp teeth and red eyes. His hood was down, revealing long, bleached horns. The mic was gone, replaced by an in-ear microphone headset.</p>
<p>On either side of the stage, was two familiar faces. On the right was Ant and on the left was Punz, but they were entangled in a mess of the same vines that surrounded Bad, the tendrils hanging from the sky as if they were being controlled by a puppeteer. The fans went insane, standing up and clapping for the performance.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Stop right there!”</em>
</p>
<p>Applause came to an abrupt stop as a new voice introduced itself from the speakers. Many recognized it, but none could see the origin of said voice. The doors to the auditorium opened, prompting everyone to whip their heads around. Amongst the scarlet shower, a green light pierced through the sea of red, and onto a figure in green and gold.</p>
<p>“Not so fast, BadBoyHalo!” Sam declared, storming from the audience’s entrance and towards the base of the stage, high-fiving fans as he made his way there. As soon as he arrived, his expression turned serious, and he gripped his axe and trident wearily.</p>
<p>Bad hummed as approached the edge of the stage. He squatted down, looking downwards at the green-haired man with a sinister smile. “I think you’re already too late, Sam.” Like mind-controlled dolls, Ant and Punz leapt off the stage, their fall slowed down by their harnesses. They surrounded Sam, pointing their tridents and swords at him. “The fun’s only just begun.”</p>
<p>He erupted into a dark holler, his somber presence sending the crowd into silence. Ant and Punz quickly overpowered Sam, restraining him from both sides as they faced their leader from below the stage. Producing a bow and arrow from his back, Bad pulled the arrow back by its tail, and aimed it at Sam.</p>
<p>“Bad, don’t do this,” Sam hissed, thrashing in his captors’ hold. He glowered at the bleached demon. “This isn’t you.”</p>
<p> “Isn’t me?” Bad asked, the wistfulness in his voice resonating. “It’s time for you to go, Sam. You’re too far gone.” He let the arrow fly, the projectile heading straight towards Sam’s heart.</p>
<p><em>“NO!”</em> The audience member beside Sam suddenly jumped in front of him, raising a shield. The arrow embedded itself into the wooden surface, and the audience member whipped around to tackle Punz from Sam. Sam took this chance and kicked Ant aside, and the two was left on the ground unconscious.</p>
<p>The audience member removed their hat and glasses, and tore the cloak off them with a flourish. The fans by the display nearly fainted out of pure shock.</p>
<p>Puffy swiveled to the stage, pointing a sword to the villain. “Bad, you need to stop!” she screamed, voice broadcasted through a mic of her own. “You’re going to destroy this whole place!”</p>
<p>The smile was wiped from Bad’s face. He scowled at the two, stepping backwards until he reached the far end of the stage. “No. You don’t <em>understand</em>,” he growled, dropping his bow. “You don’t understand!” Desperation replaced fury, voice cracking as the tone changed.</p>
<p>He waved his hand in a wide arc, and the lights were snuffed out. The scenery on the stage screen changed to the Badlands’ mansion. Puffy and Sam helped Ant and Punz out as they scurried backstage.</p>
<p>Bad wandered the stage aimlessly, and he eventually fell to his knees. The infected trident laid by his side, abandoned.</p>
<p>He looked up to the ceiling, a dim light shining on him like a call of despair. Skeppy could hear some people sniffling and crying into their shirts.</p>
<p>“Why…?” Bad sobbed, clutching his shirt. His body lurched forward, grabbing his hair as his figure shook, cloak spread out around him like broken wings. “I’ve done everything you asked me to…” The screen flashed, shifting briefly to a nightmarish egg and to Skeppy’s face. Only he was covered in red veins, a hateful expression plastered instead of a mischievous one. “… so why…?”</p>
<p>Bad punched the stage, and screamed.</p>
<p>The light slowly faded to black, and the screen followed.</p>
<p>Questions raced through Skeppy’s mind. How the hell is he involved in this plot when he wasn’t even <em>there</em>? But god, Bad’s acting was on point. He’d never seen so much emotion from him before.</p>
<p>Skeppy glanced back to the stage. The lights were slowly returning, but the person on stage had changed; or not. Bad was still there, but he was in his regular black and red attire, his cloak gone to oblivion.</p>
<p>Bad didn’t say anything. Rather, he stared at a familiar blue boxed mask, face blank with phantoms of grief. Piano music started to play, signaling the skit was coming to an end.</p>
<p>The music turned dark. Bad looked up and faced the screen, to come face to face with image of the corrupted egg. The lights flashed red, and everything went black.</p>
<p>The auditorium was dead silent.</p>
<p>Skeppy didn’t realize he was gripping the edge of his seat until he looked down.</p>
<p>Holy shit.</p>
<p>But that wasn’t over.</p>
<p>The lights and calm music returned one last time, and this time, Puffy and Quackity were on stage with Bad. They were arm with arm with him, laughing and bringing him around. The screen changed to the Prime Path, just near Tommy’s house.</p>
<p>“It’s okay if you miss Skeppy, Bad!” Puffy said, holding up a blue piece of paper. A derp face was drawn on it with marker. “We can be your discount Skeppies!”</p>
<p>Quackity nodded, pulling down his beanie with a Skeppy face sewn on it. “Hi! I’m Skeppy, and I’m a simp for GoodBoyHalo and would give him another fifty grand!”</p>
<p>Bad flushed red and pushed them both aside. He broke into a run, screaming <em>Skepppyyyyyyy!</em> while the other two chased him. His attempts were futile, as with their combined efforts, they tackled him to the ground, laying on his back as they made poor imitations of his best friend.</p>
<p>The audience daren’t make a sound. They have grown distrustful of the show’s fluffy scenes, knowing that they would spiral into a bottomless pit of sadness. But thankfully, the trio got to their feet and the lights did not go out. They adjusted their clothes and their mics. Everyone finally realized that this was the end and erupted in applause.</p>
<p>The rest of the cast poured onto the stage, waving to the audience members while dragging their props with them. Ant and Punz had taken off their harness, but the vines around their feet made it difficult for them to move around. Bad blew a sigh of relief and turned to their fans, wiping sweat from his brow.</p>
<p>“Did you enjoy my performance, everybody?” He received endless support and positive feedback from all sides, albeit some were still traumatized by EvilBoyHalo. “Thank you so much, guys! I’m glad that I could scare all of you. I told you: I’m hardcore!” Next to him, Quackity snorted so hard his mic fell from his face. The crowd howled.</p>
<p>Bad nudged Quackity, glaring playfully at the man. He swiveled back to the audience. “Thank you for coming to the premiere of the Dream SMP Season 2: The Bloodvine Arc! A huge thank you to all my friends who are also my fellow cast members, the directors, producers and especially the makeup artists. They’re getting a raise after all the face paint and hair dye we wasted. Thank you all for coming, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the convention!”</p>
<p>The cast bowed to the audience, and a huge round of applause was given to them as they left backstage. People began to stand up and leave to meet the rest of the actors in their sections outside, but Skeppy made his way through the crowd and straight to the backstage.</p>
<p>The security guy blocked his path. He was taller than Skeppy, and he glared at him without a second thought. “No outsiders allowed,” he said. “Please turn around and take the exit at the front.”</p>
<p>Skeppy grunted. He didn’t want to be rude to the guy who was just doing his job. He turned to the insides and caught the group who had just left the stage, and called out to them. They turned, surprised of his appearance and told the guard he was one of the cast members involved in the production. The guard apologized and let him inside.</p>
<p>Bad held his hands like an excited puppy. “Skeppy! You’re here!” He beamed. He’d taken his jacket off, revealing his sleeveless turtleneck underneath. His skin glistened with sweat. “I would hug you, but I’m soaked all over. What brings you here?”</p>
<p>Skeppy stared straight at him. “Dude, what the fuck?” he demanded. “Since when did you get a leading role? A fucking villain, nonetheless! Why didn’t you tell me?”</p>
<p>Bad returned the stare with confusion. “What?” he quizzed. “I told you the moment I received the news!” He took his hands away and crossed them. “It was even in the script! Did you not read it?”</p>
<p>“You know everything I do is improv,” Skeppy defended. “And since when did you tell me?”</p>
<p>“I told you when we were at the club! Quackity was there, too!”</p>
<p>Skeppy thought hard. He vaguely remembered the club, but he couldn’t recall much of it. Mainly because he was downing so many drinks he started to see triple. Yeah. That was all on him.</p>
<p>“You were amazing up there,” Skeppy praised him. “I got goosebumps all over.”</p>
<p>A red blush made its way to Bad’s cheeks. “Re—really? Thank you, Skeppy. That’s surprisingly nice of you.”</p>
<p>“I can be nice if I want to. Now, do you want to go get something to eat after all of this?”</p>
<p>“Definitely. But first, we still need to attend the meet-and-greet after thirty minutes, then more activities after. Do you want to come with?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And that was how Skeppy got dragged into a meet-and-greet with all of his friends, especially when this was a meet-and-greet specifically for the villain cast. There was a side booth for all the heroes and side characters of this arc (which were Sam, Puffy, Punz, Ant, Quackity, Ponk(who was helping the lights and now he’s ten years closer to death)), so he was put with them.</p>
<p>Skeppy loved his fans. More specifically, <em>his</em> fans. Not the Dream SMP ones. Not that he hated them, but the questions they had for him were… unorthodox. They were a completely different breed, and the plot the writers have been feeding them was most certainly filled with cocaine and the like.</p>
<p>A twelve-year-old girl looked him in the eye and asked, “Aren’t you the guy on my sister’s magazines she hides under her bed?”</p>
<p>Skeppy paused, his pen hovering over the ipad’s cover. Behind him, Ant screeched in laughter. “Uh,” he stuttered, finishing his signature on the pink leather surface. “Maybe?” Ant slammed his head on the table.</p>
<p>Once the girl left with an appalled mother, Skeppy pointed two fingers to his eyes and to Ant’s. Ant replied by sliding his thumb across his neck.</p>
<p>“Guys, stop flirting and start greeting,” Puffy huffed, signing a child’s forehead. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair. The boy ran away screaming <em>I’m never washing my hair again!</em> “Please don’t!” she called after the child. “Hygiene is important!”</p>
<p>The person next in line was a teenage boy. He gave Skeppy a BadBoyHalo poster to sign. Skeppy kept his groaning inside. This was the seventieth kid who asked him to sign something related to Bad. He was sure Bad suffered the same fate, because he saw all the same kids with Skeppy merchandise and posters waiting for Bad to sign them.</p>
<p>“Are you and Bad canonically married?”</p>
<p>Skeppy looked up and stared at the boy. At the end of the table, Quackity fell off his chair, clutching his stomach wheezing.</p>
<p>Skeppy was <em>this close</em> to snapping someone’s neck. Preferably the dollar store Skeppy with a cheap imitate beanie.</p>
<p>The main booth wilder and more crowded than theirs, and Skeppy was grateful for it. Dream was dragged into so many directions for pictures that he forgot where his booth was. Wilbur’s prop, which was a piece of dynamite, was stolen by rabid fans after Tommy appeared and riled them up. Schlatt had heard at least three hundred flatty patty jokes and was beyond done with burgers for the next year, and three fans have given him a plate of toast. Bad was met with sobbing fans who were undoubtedly traumatized by their baby turning to the dark side.</p>
<p>A little girl walked up to Skeppy and pointed at Bad. She couldn’t have been older than six. “Mommy says a true love’s kiss can break any evil curse,” she said. “Can you kiss Bad so he’s all better again?”</p>
<p>“Ooh,” Quackity slid over, wiggling his eyebrows. “True love’s kiss, eh, Skep?”</p>
<p>Someone is going to die today.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Blooper Reel (Because every show needs one)</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>BIG REVEAL (TAKE #3)</em>
</p>
<p>Bad threw his arms out, his cloak billowing behind him. “ALL HAIL THE CRIMSON EM—” His cloak flapped upwards and slapped him in the face. With muffled screaming, he stumbled backwards and fell on his bottom.</p>
<p>From the ceilings, Ant and Punz dangled in mid-air, staring at their long-time friend with crossed arms. Punz cupped his hands and shouted to Callahan. “CAN WE COME DOWN ALREADY?”</p>
<p>Callahan raised a red X, and they were left to their fates until Bad’s cloak was perfectly measured by the tailors. Hey, at least it wasn’t so bad. Ponk worked light crew, so he could sneak up here and bring them ramen noodles. They ate lunch while dangling in air as they watched the tailors struggle to get Bad’s cloak right.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>SAM’S DOOR ABUSE (TAKE #1)</em>
</p>
<p>Sam burst through the door. “Stop right there!” he roared, ready to march forward until a weak voice whimpered from behind. He whipped around to see the door creaking open, revealing Quackity, who hadn’t gotten the time to get out of the way before Sam made his grand entrance.</p>
<p>Sam paled. “Oh my gosh. Quackity!”</p>
<p>Quackity fell face-first onto the floor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>PUFFY’S ENTRANCE (TAKE #1.5)</em>
</p>
<p>Bad pulled the arrow back, his expression cruel and merciless. He released the bowstring, and the arrow headed straight towards Sam’s chest.</p>
<p>“NO!” Puffy stood from the chair and raised her shield, only for her to step on her coat and trip over the trio. They broke out of character and screamed, as they all toppled over, crashing to the floor in one big heap. The blunt tip of the arrow bounced off Punz’s head and onto the floor.</p>
<p>Sam groaned. “Puffy…”</p>
<p>Puffy raised an arm. “I’m sorry!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>PUFFY’S ENTRANCE (TAKE #2)</em>
</p>
<p>“Alright, Puffy, you can do this. Just raise the shield, don’t trip on anything, and make the most badass line you can in the Dream SMP history. You got this.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, even after her self-pep talk and her successful arrow block, she did not fare well when it came to revealing her identity. When she threw her coat off, a loud tear echoed in the empty space. All eyes were on her.</p>
<p>She looked down to see that she’d ripped her costume along with the stopgap coat. From the prep team, their costume maker Jack Manifold slammed his head on the table, crying into fabric and blueprints.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>OMELET REVEAL (TAKE #4)</em>
</p>
<p>“Why?” Bad sobbed, holding his head in utter despair. “Have I not done enough for you?”</p>
<p>The screen behind him flashed to the egg, then to a brightly colored fan art of baby Skeppy begging MomBoyHalo for sand. Bad broke character and turned to the stage crew, only to see Vurb at the computers.</p>
<p>Punz lunged after the model with a prop trident in hand. “VURB! WHEN I SAID YOU COULD VISIT AS A GUEST, I DIDN’T MEAN YOU CAN SABOTAGE OUR REHEARSEL GOD FUCKING DAMNIT—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>???</em>
</p>
<p>“Look at me!” Quackity hauled a life-size cutout of Bad’s character to the set he’d stolen from a convention. “Guess who I am!” He made kissy noises at Bad’s cutout, caressing the cardboard surface. “Muah, muah, muah. I love Bad and money. I trap kids in my basement. Every day I worship his ass and I’m a simp.”</p>
<p>Everyone giggled at first, but they choked on their laughter as they realized who was behind Quackity. Sapnap shook his head and crossed his fingers, trying to get the message across, but Quackity didn’t acknowledge it.</p>
<p>Skeppy put a hand on Quackity’s shoulder. Quackity shrieked so loud that any birds near the studio had flown off in fear.</p>
<p>“READY TO DIE, MOTHERFUCKER?” Skeppy screeched.</p>
<p>“NO, PLEASE, SPARE ME—NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”</p>
<p>Bad yawned as he dried his hair off from his shower. His eyes followed the duo, where Skeppy was chasing after Quackity with a prop sword. His eye twitched, and he turned back to the bathrooms. This wasn’t his problem and it won’t ever be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. #georgeNOTfound</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the fifth time this month, George was running late to a shoot. And by the time he got there, most of the actors have fallen asleep in their changing rooms. The directors are on the verge of tearing their hairs out, the costume designers are playing football with a lump of cloth, and the rest of the workers have gone out for dessert. Suffice to say, when George walked into a quiet studio and an empty hall, he was beyond confused.</p>
<p>Dream fell out of his chair when his door was barged into. The books on the table toppled over and landed square on his head like dominoes. “Dream!” George cried, apathic to Dream’s fall. “Where is everybody?”</p>
<p>Groaning, Dream raised a hand like an undead stabbing their arm through the dirt. His fingers twitched as he mourned all the books that have been ruined by his rude awakening. He clasped onto the dressing table and hoisted himself up, glaring at his friend’s reflection via the mirror.</p>
<p>“Where the hell were you?” he demanded, whirling to face the brunet. His eyes bulged at George’s jacket and shorts. Jack was going to strangle George then himself after he saw him. “George! You’re not even changed!”</p>
<p>George blew a raspberry, waving off Dream’s concern. “Don’t worry, Dream,” he said nonchalantly. “There’s no one in the studio. We’re just early.”</p>
<p>Dream stared at George, then raced to fish his phone out of his pocket. If eyeballs could pop out of their sockets, there would be two rolling by their feet. He turned the device to George, almost shoving it into his face.</p>
<p>“It’s only 8pm, Dream.” George pushed the phone back. “We still have two hours left to kill.”</p>
<p> The blond was torn between shaking his friend and slapping him upside the head with an encyclopedia. His eye twitched as he urged to snap George’s glasses right there and then. But he took a deep breath, muttered prayers to whichever god that will hear him, clasping his hands in front of his face and turned to George.</p>
<p>“George,” he said with as much patience as he could muster. “The schedule was 10 in the <em>morning</em>. Not 10 at <em>night</em>.”</p>
<p> “Oh.” George snapped his fingers as realization dawned on his face. “So <em>that’s</em> why I the egg crew were waiting outside.”</p>
<p>Dream stared at him. <em>“What?”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Long story short, they got kicked out of the studio. As they packed up and left, Punz and Sam glowered at them as they shuffled into the changing rooms, while aggressively sipping milkshakes from straws. Suffice to say, nobody was pleased. Callahan was a hair’s breadth close to tearing up the script and kicking his chair, but he remained professional for the sake of overglorified theatre.</p>
<p>“So,” Sapnap snapped, hair sticking up in wild directions. He rubbed his eyes, irritated that his sleep was interrupted. “What’s your excuse for this one, Gogy? Cat ate your shirt like the last fourteen times?”</p>
<p>Dream read the menu as tentatively as possible, doing his best to ignore the two across him. George rolled his eyes, drumming his fingers on the wooden table while they waited for Dream to finish ordering his supper.</p>
<p>“I read the stupid schedule wrong,” George retorted. “It’s not <em>my</em> fault they printed it smaller than your brain, Sappy.”</p>
<p>Sapnap took a fork from the cups. “Everyone’s got the same fucking schedule.” He pointed the utensil to George, like he wanted to stab his eyes out. “You know what, Gogy? You know what? I’m starting to think that you aren’t committed to us one <em>bit</em>.”</p>
<p>Across them, Dream choked on air. He directed his mind to the list of waffles and soufflés, skimming over each description. He pretended as if he didn’t hear them, covering his face with the menu.</p>
<p>“I’m not married to my work, Sappitus Nappitus. Unlike you, I have a life outside of acting.”</p>
<p>“What life? A life where you play crazy cat lady and an e-girl at the same time? If you want a cat, we have cat maids back in the studio. If you want simp money or a sugar daddy, Dream’s literally sitting in front of us. Right Dream?”</p>
<p>Dream ignored them and beckoned for the waiter. Though, despite his nonchalant façade, he was internally shriveling up with laughter.</p>
<p>The waiter arrived with a tablet, asking for their orders. He was wearing a tux far too formal for service. “I’ll have the L’Manburg waffle with extra whip cream and a Crimson Eggnog,” Dream listed, turning to his friends.</p>
<p>“A NotFound milkshake,” Sapnap said.</p>
<p>George stared at them with skeptical eyes. Quickly, he snatched the menu from Dream’s hands and narrowed his eyes at the design and names. Then, with the venom of a thousand snakes, he glowered at them like they’d given him bunny ears for Christmas.</p>
<p>“Why are we at a Dream SMP style restaurant?” he demanded, appalled. “I didn’t even know there was one!”</p>
<p>Sapnap turned to the waiter and pointed a thumb at George. “He’ll have Sapnap’s space buns and a Dream Delight.” The waiter nodded and didn’t ask any questions after he left.</p>
<p>George crossed his arms, waiting for an answer from either of them. Unfortunately for him, Dream still acted as if he didn’t notice them, and Sapnap was scrolling down his phone without a care in the world. George’s nerve snapped when he saw Sapnap retweet a meme about his and George’s height difference.</p>
<p>“Guys!” he screamed, a bit louder than necessary. A handful of diners turned their heads, but they were all familiar faces. George waved at Tommy and Tubbo from a few tables over, who were sharing a L’manberg-themed ice-cream platter. (Tommy gave him the finger in response.)</p>
<p>Dream coughed up a laugh and covered his mouth with his hand. He only burst out into hysterical laughter as George glared harder at him.</p>
<p>“Ha!” Dream choked. “You’re so cute when you’re mad, George. Anyway, Callahan runs this place in his spare time when we’re not driving him crazy. It’s to attract more attention to the show, and we always come here for breaks—not that you’d know. You’re never around anymore.”</p>
<p>George’s cheeks fumed red. Just because he had a terrible sleep schedule and near-nonexistent time arrangement doesn’t mean he’s dead. They were speaking as if he already kicked the bucket. Or worse: settle into an official crazy cat lady lifestyle where he would live his days bathing in cat fur and fluff.</p>
<p>“Come on, George,” Sapnap hummed, passive-aggressively memes about their height difference. “One of these days, Callahan’s going to kick you out of the show. We’re already behind schedule on our newest episode, ‘See You In Our Next Life.’”</p>
<p>“The only thing you have to do is sit still and look pretty,” Dream agreed. “If you’re camera shy, we can get a stunt double.”</p>
<p>George snorted as the young waiter piled their table with their orders. They didn’t talk about his schedule after that. Then they decided to visit the studio to check on their friends. Hey, it was Bad’s big day for being casted as a main villain. They can’t not go there and support their friend.</p>
<p>The first thing they saw in the studio was the stupendous amount of wigs and fabric on the floor. Jack was passed out nearby, crumpling from exertion while still gripping a ball point pen, like he was a vengeful soul who sought vengeance through the bodies of the living. They carefully threaded past him and towards the casting grounds, where they were recording an emotional moment.</p>
<p>The cameras were all on Bad, so the rest of the crew were fanned out and waiting for their turn. George caught Punz helping Antfrost with his contacts for his scene.</p>
<p>“Ow!” Ant cried, squeezing his eyes shut before Punz could put the contacts in. “That hurt, Punz!”</p>
<p>Punz sighed in exasperation and threw his arms up. “Then <em>you</em> do it yourself!” he spat with a hushed tone, careful to not disturb the recording audio. “We’re not here to baby you, Ant. Velvet’s not here to tuck you into bed.”</p>
<p>Ant slapped Punz’s hand out of his face, huffing.</p>
<p>George joined their ensemble. Dream was messing with Ponk’s sumo mask, and Sapnap was swordfighting Skeppy with prop axes. He didn’t want to be involved with their shenanigans, so Punz and Ant were the only viable options. They were the saner ones out of everybody here, other than Bad. But even Bad can sometimes lose his marbles when he has too much free time. In fact, he can’t think of anyone from their cast who he would consider normal.</p>
<p>They greeted him. Ant gave up trying for contacts and Punz took a swig of his milkshake from earlier.</p>
<p>“So,” Ant snapped at George, a bit too irritated for his liking, “<em>you’re</em> the reason we have to do overtime.”</p>
<p>George scratched the back of his head. “I read the stupid schedule wrong. It’s not my fault that the words were too small.”</p>
<p>Punz groaned. He finished the melted ice-cream and crushed the plastic cup. “It’s sent in digital. Do you not know how to use a fucking computer?” He crumpled his trash and tossed it in a plastic bag. George stared at the liquid that once resembled a drink. Even with his colorblindness, that did not look appetizing.</p>
<p>“We’re three hours behind our schedule,” Ant agreed. “George, you’re my homie and I care for you. However—don’t fuck with our time or our schedule. I missed like, three dates with Velvet this week.”</p>
<p>“It’s Tuesday,” George pointed out. Ant didn’t look like he was lying.</p>
<p>“Not the point.”</p>
<p> George blew a raspberry as Ant made yet another attempt at putting his contacts on. He turned his attention to Punz, who was glancing at Dream, who was running around with just about everybody’s masks, fake ears, and diamonds on his head.</p>
<p>“What flavor of milkshake did you get?” George asked, trying to lighten the mood. He was in the wrong—he’d wasted everyone’s time, after all. But he didn’t want this conversation to end in a sour note.</p>
<p>Punz was stone-faced. “Broccoli and mint.”</p>
<p>George winced. Maybe he wasn’t the reason why the blond was in such a horrible mood after all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>George wanted to strangle Punz with his stupid gold chain. He nearly spat his milk from the hashtag trending on Twitter, haven’t expected it to blow up overnight.</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>#georgeNOTfound</em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>The original poster was none other than Punz himself. The man had posted a series of pictures and short videos, all of which were serial and marked with a small description each.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> <strong>🔁</strong> <strong><em>Skeppy, BadBoyHalo, Ponk, Antfrost, Velvet &amp; several others retweeted<br/></em></strong>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>Waiting for the day when we’ll be let into our own goddamn studio<em> <strong>#georgeNOTfound</strong> </em>(1/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Picture #1] It was a blurry picture of the egg crew sitting at the entrance of the studio. Bad and Skeppy were screaming at each other behind him. Ant and Ponk were thumb-wrestling. </em>
</p>
<p><strong>9456</strong> Retweets | <strong>4732 </strong>Tweets | <strong>103245</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>Fuck the omelet arc 🖕 we’re going to mcdonalds <strong><em>#georgeNOTfound</em></strong> (2/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Picture #2] A picture of a mahogany table with drinks on napkins. At the end of the table, Puffy is seen arm wrestling with Skeppy and winning.</em>
</p>
<p><strong>6423</strong> Retweets | <strong>3412 </strong>Tweets | <strong>7432</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>Its 9pm. We were supposed to start filming at 7 <strong><em>#georgeNOTfound</em></strong> (3/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Video #1] The egg crew have ended up in a karaoke private room. Ponk is passed out on the couch drunk. Skeppy is harassing Ant with his screeching. Bad has lost all faith in humanity and is trying to hide in the corner. Puffy is screaming into the mic. Punz wants to die. Ant is slumped on the table while he’s punching an Antfrost plushie. The video comes to an abrupt halt after Punz screams, “FUCK THE BRITISH”.</em>
</p>
<p><strong>7325</strong> Retweets | <strong>7832 </strong>Tweets |<strong>8532</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>Heading back, praying we don’t crash and that the British man is there <strong><em>#georgeNOTfound</em></strong> (4/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Picture #3] Bad is in the driver’s seat while Puffy is on the passenger. They are arguing over the GPS.</em>
</p>
<p><strong>5346</strong> Retweets | <strong>7538 </strong>Tweets | <strong>6403</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>We waited an hour. Its 10 pm. The mf just showed up. I wish I brought a knife <strong><em>#georgeNOTfound</em></strong> (5/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Picture #4] A picture of their parking lot. At a good distance away, a car could be seen pulling up to the entrance. The car plate is blurred. It is George’s car. It has a cat keychain hanging on the front mirror.</em>
</p>
<p><strong>4942</strong> Retweets | <strong>2857 </strong>Tweets | <strong>3831</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Punz <strong>@Punz </strong>☑️</p>
<p>God give me the strength <strong><em>#georgeNOTfound</em></strong> (6/6)</p>
<p>
  <em>[Video #2] Punz zooms the camera close to his face, breathing hard. He then flips the camera to George, who was sleeping in the prison set. </em>
</p>
<p><strong>4765</strong> Retweets | 1<strong>524 </strong>Tweets | <strong>5543</strong> Likes</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>George scrolled down the hashtag, his frown deepening with every post. Nearly every fan that posted about the hashtag were making fun of him. He wasn’t disturbed – just confused. He liked to crack jokes now and then, but he preferred it when he <em>knew</em> what the joke was about.</p>
<p>Also, why the hell did his friends keep sharing memes about it? Was <em>this</em> why his discord refused to shut up until he set it to DND?</p>
<p>George sighed and turned his phone off. If his friends wanted him to stop being late, he’ll do it. He did actually delay their time, and he feels a tad guilty about it.</p>
<p>His attention is diverted elsewhere when his phone started to ring. Without looking at the ID, he picked it up, bringing the device to his ears without hesitation. He only leaned away as the person on the line was in a busy environment, where loud echoes, out-of-tuned microphones and disasters occurred near them.</p>
<p><em>“George!”</em> Sam’s exasperated voice snapped. <em>“Where are you? You’re three hours late—again!”</em></p>
<p>George took the phone from his ear and scrolled down to check the date and time, with Sam berating him from the other side of the call.</p>
<p>Not this again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were supposed to film the scene where the Dream Team breaks up, where Dream split ways with George and Sapnap, then he will exile Tommy by threatening Tubbo’s life. But since George failed to show up yet <em>again</em>, they were forced to continue without the Brit. Thankfully, they were great improvisors and put together a last-ditch effort to make the plot work smoothly. Callahan accepted the change after running it through with Wilbur, who was supposed to be on vacation.</p>
<p>The original storyline involved George discovering Dream’s psychotic behavior, confronting him about said behavior, and lashing out at him with Sapnap holding him back. They would then turn from Dream and form their own nation with Karl and Quackity.</p>
<p>However, since George failed to show up, they had to drag Tommy and Tubbo back to set. They were forced to leave their colleges early and rush towards the studio, where they were then stuffed into their costumes. They weren’t amused in the slightest, to say the least.</p>
<p>Now, the plot revolved around Dream threatening to box in L’Manburg if Tommy wasn’t exiled. Before Tommy was exiled, Sapnap would be told that Dream didn’t care about them and would make his own decision once Tommy leaves to his exile. This is where the El Rapids would form.</p>
<p>All in all, everyone was happy with the end result, but they weren’t happy at George. Suffice to say, George got an earful from everybody.</p>
<p>And sadly, #georgeNOTfound is still the number one trending hashtag in nearly every country.</p>
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